400th anniversary of Onrust celebrated during Village of Waterford’s Steamboat Rally

Larry Shepard, of Milford, New Jersey, and Charles J. Roth holding “Steamboat Willie” on the Rachel Z during Steamboat Meet Saturday.
Photos by J.S.CARRAS — THE RECORD

WATERFORD >> Boaters came from across the country Saturday to the village’s annual Steamboat Rally.

The festival is one of three the town hosts in the summer, along with Canal Festival in May and the Tugboat Roundup the weekend after Labor Day.

This year is also the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the historic ship the Onrust, originally constructed in 1614 by Dutch explorers.

“It’s really a great throwback and a good way to remember history,” said Pete Bardunias, president of the Southern Saratoga Chamber of Commerce. “We’re trying to get people to think about waterways more for both recreational and commercial use and we’ve made a lot of progress.”

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Sixteen boats registered for the event and met at the harbor, where vendors and live music were set up for the day.

The crew of the Phoebe Snow, operated by a family spanning three generations, travelled from Sellersville, Pennsylvania, to meet with other steamboat enthusiasts. Capt. Donald Fenstermacher said he’d always had an interest in steamboats and steam locomotives.

Fenstermacher planned to take up steamboating after he retired, but couldn’t wait until then to start.

Now, it’s a hobby he enjoys with his son, Donald Fenstermacher Jr., and 7-year-old grandson, Dylan. He said he’s been to the meet in Waterford for about seven or eight years, and it’s one of his favorites.

“The thing that impressed me most… we couldn’t believe how friendly the town was and how open it was, we just fell in love with the town,” said Fenstermacher. He said the location is great, at the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson rivers and Erie Canal.

The Phoebe Snow is a replica of an 1890s launch. Fenstermacher bought it about 18 years ago, he said, and rebuilt the vessel piece by piece.

One boat at the harbor was not like the others — it’s powered by solar electricity. Capt. Jim Greer built the Rah two years ago, and since has been sailing throughout North America. Two years ago, he said, he was tired of travelling on highways and wanted to see what was taking place on the water. He decided to build the boat, and 90 days later, it was in the water.

The boat now has 8,000 miles on it, he said, after sailing to Canada, Florida, and places in between, but said the Erie Canal is special.

“This canal has a whole different feeling with it,” he said.

This is the first time he’s stopped in Waterford, and he said he plans to stay for two weeks.

“People ask me what I’m trying to prove, with the solar panels,” said Greer. “I don’t know if I’m trying to prove anything. But I want to show anybody can do something if they keep their mind to it and go ahead and do it.”

Bardunias said he’s connected Greer to other people in the area interested in developing solar boats.

Greer’s travels can be followed on the Facebook page for “Pirates of the Sun.”